Department Of English

Vanderbilt’s Department of English and Creative Writing Program are hosting acclaimed writers for the 2022–23 Gertrude C. and Harold S. Vanderbilt Visiting Writers Series. Fiction writer Laura Van Den Berg, author of I Hold a Wolf by the Ears, will appear on Thursday, Sept. 29, at 7 p.m. at the Vanderbilt Bookstore. Read More

The Department of English and Creative Writing Program will host acclaimed authors for its Gertrude C. and Harold S. Vanderbilt Visiting Writers Series during the 2022–23 academic year, beginning with poet Aria Aber on Thursday, Sept. 15. Read More

A poem by Bryan Byrdlong, BA'15 Read More

The topic of burial is never easy, but for alumna Mallory McDuff, BS'88, the sudden deaths of her parents led her to realign her final wishes with climate change, community and family in mind. Read More

Harry Choi has lived in four countries on three continents, learned five languages and made lasting connections with people from around the globe. At Vanderbilt he is using his international experiences to help people feel a greater sense of belonging on campus. Read More

Kate Daniels has long been captivated by the connection between writing and the healing process. After earning her bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia, Daniels worked as a nurse’s aide at UVA Medical Center while she was in the process of applying to graduate school. The job was grueling,… Read More

Zeno senthis arrow flyingendlessly from pointto point along its arcto make a pointabout eternity:getting there is tricky. That’s what I thinkanyway, as snowflakesstall in the morning’sfreezing airlike seed fluffreluctant to dropanchor in the ice. I’m watching thattentative descentthough I’m in motionand counter-motioneven as I followmy pen’s blue notesand think I’m not- not doing… Read More

Vanderbilt students are invited to express how they feel about unity and democracy through a new poetry contest. The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy is conducting the contest in partnership with Vanderbilt’s English department and MFA program in creative writing. The theme is “What unity through American democracy means to me.” Read More

In a new book, 'Gilded Age Cocktails: History, Lore, and Recipes from America’s Golden Age,' Cecelia Tichi, research professor of English, explores the history of some of bartending’s most enduring recipes, as well as drinks created for business titans of the day, such as Cornelius Vanderbilt Read More

Meet the new faculty head of E. Bronson Ingram College, Teresa Goddu, associate professor of English and American studies. Read More

Emily J. Lordi and Caroline Randall Williams will build on Vanderbilt’s national and international recognition while amplifying the reach and impact of their research as Global Voices Fellows for the fall 2021 semester. Read More

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences announced today the election of two esteemed members of Vanderbilt’s faculty, Amy-Jill Levine, University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies and Mary Jane Werthan Professor of Jewish Studies, and Hortense Spillers, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English. They are among 252 new members selected for the academy in 2021. Read More

Identical twins Jade and Jazmyn Ayers have immersed themselves in literature and personal narratives for years, leading to majors in English as well as a creative way to pair storytelling with another of their passions: medicine. Read More

The Southern Festival of Books: A Celebration of the Written Word will be held online Oct. 1-11, with Vanderbilt faculty, staff and alumni participating and three new VU Press titles spotlighted. Read More

Major Jackson, an accomplished poet and essayist, will join the Vanderbilt faculty as Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English in January 2021 after 18 years in the Department of English at the University of Vermont. Read More

Interim Chancellor and Provost Susan R. Wente announced Vanderbilt’s 2020 Founder’s Medalists in a video message to the university community on May 8. Read More

Students in "King Arthur and the Literature of Chivalry," a writing seminar taught by University Librarian and Professor of English Valerie Hotchkiss, devoted recent class time to what 21st-century chivalry looks like, especially during COVID-19. Read More

Actress Kirsten Dunst, left, and co-star Théodore Pellerin film a scene for On Becoming a God in Central Florida, a quirky Showtime comedy created by alumnus Robert Funke about a cultish, Amway-like marketing scheme. Courtesy of SHOWTIME On Becoming a God in Central Florida is an oddly academic-sounding title for… Read More

Amanda Little, Steven Pinker and Carl Zimmer joined moderator Jon Meacham for the final Chancellor’s Lecture Series of 2019. The panel discussed how expanded access to data has changed human approaches to every part of our lives. Read More

Winter 2020 classes offered by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Vanderbilt include the history of Fort Negley, memoir writing, brain disorders and a Shakespeare production. Read More